Matthew 15:21-28: A demonized girl is healed
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Matthew 15:21-28
There are several elements overlapping between this miracle narrative and that of the healing of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8:5-13):
FOOTNOTES
1. Dr. Craig Keener, "Matthew, Lecture 10, Matthew 8-9," made available online by Biblical eLearning.
2. For a little more on the topic of healing rates, see my post "How Many are Healed."
Matthew 15:21-28There are several elements overlapping between this miracle narrative and that of the healing of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8:5-13):
- Exclusion: both the Canaanite woman and the centurion are non-Jews
I could also say that Jesus was rude to both, being condescending and impolite. He called the woman a dog and answered the centurion (according to some commentators and translations) with dismissive sarcasm. If someone requested prayer in one of our churches and were responded to in the manner Jesus responses Jesus answered either of these two, we'd be horrified. - Humility: both come to Jesus with profound humility
- Intermediaries: both are seeking a miracle for someone under their care
- Faith: both are commended by Jesus for their faith
- Distance: both miracles are accomplished at a distance by simple proclamations
The message that the woman and the Roman were to be rejected because they were not Jews is clear (in fact, Matthew 15:24, it is explicitly stated). They weren't Jews, and as if that weren't bad enough one was an authority for the invading oppressors and the other was...well, she was a woman.
Exclusion
The first theme, that of exclusion and inclusion, of who's "in" and who's "out," is found throughout Matthew's gospel, so it might be a mistake to look for significance within the pericopes of the healing of the woman's daughter and the centurion's servant. However, it does serve to highlight the second theme: humility.
Humility
I'm sure others have observed the humility present in both pericopes, but it in Craig Keener's work that it was first made apparent to me.1 Just recently, however, I have begun to wonder if humility might not be a large part of faith. Art Thomas suggests that faith is trusting Jesus to do his part—the miraculous healing—while we do what our part—announcing Jesus' part! In other words, faith for healing recognizes our inability and absolute dependence upon Christ (which is, of course, also true regarding saving faith) while choosing to trust His character. This means there is no faith without humility. If that is, indeed, the case, could it be that Matthew highlights the humility evident in both pericopes because he is illustrating the nature of faith itself? Both the supplicants are clearly non-Jews, clearly in the "exclusion" group, and both knowledge it. Neither argues that they actually deserve healing. Actually, they both argue that they are unworthy. Even so, both come to Jesus expecting mercy and grace. Both are, in this fact, paragons of humility.
Intermediaries
That both pericopes have people coming to Jesus on behalf of others may simply be coincidence. In Matthew's Gospel, the father of the demonized boy (Matthew 17:14-21), the people who brought the demonized in the evening (Matthew 8:15), the friends of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-7), the father of the dying girl (Matthew 9:18-26), large crowds (Matthew 15:30), and even people from as far away as the region of Syria (Matthew 4:24) also acted on behalf of others, even if only some of them came in the other's place. Given the frequency with which we see this, I think it unwise to assign any special significance within the pericope of the Gentile woman's daughter.
Faith
As with many of the accounts of Jesus' miracles in the Gospels, faith is specifically noted. It seems to me that proponents of Word of Faith (WoF) teaching see faith in pericopes like this as functioning as primary cause of the healing. That understanding, however, overlooks the role Jesus plays. If faith does the work, one could argue that those people who came to Jesus with faith did not actually need Jesus at all. If we understand their healing being the direct product of their faith, Jesus becomes superfluous, and I have actually heard teach that says that was the case. This, however, overlooks that healing also appears to require power and authority. When Jesus sent out the twelve (Matthew 10:1), he pointedly did not give them faith for the work they were about to undertake: he gave them power and authority. So, while faith is often noted in the healing pericopes (as it is in with both the Canaanite woman and the centurion), it is not always mentioned. Actually, John is unique among the Gospels writers in that not once does he make specific note of the faith of people being healed.
Having made note of all of the disclaimers in the paragraph above, it is still abundantly obvious that faith is a very central theme here. That said, the more I think about it, the more it seems like the primary focus is on the humility inherent in the faith, rather than the persistence. While the woman apparently follows Jesus and his disciples long enough to cause the disciples to become disgruntled (Matthew 15:23), that persistence is not what Jesus to with the exclamation about her "great faith" (Matthew 15:28). Rather, it seems to me to be her willingness to recognize her own unworthiness (accepting the term "dogs" in reference to her people) and Jesus superiority (casting him in the role of "their master") that is what Jesus responds to. In other words, she accepts her own position and does not deny that she is unworthy, but she still conveys a clear expectation that Jesus has enough to spare. Furthermore, her persistence indicates the clear expectation that Jesus will provide the healing she seeks.
These two aspects come together to produce an image of faith that is not only focused on Jesus. Faith here is clearly relational. It is not faith in an abstract sense--believing in the greatness of Jesus, that he is the messiah, or even just a powerful healer. It is faith about how Jesus will react to her--it is faith in how he will relate. This is what faith for healing is. It is for healing, not in healing. It is faith in Jesus, in both is ability and his willingness to heal. It is not a belief that certain actions will themselves produce the outcome desired. It is trusting Jesus. So, while he does command us to go and heal the sick (so there are certain actions expected of us), our trust needs to be focused entirely on him, not on those actions (e.g., laying on of hands, anointing with oil, commanding healing, rebuking demons, etc.).
Distance
As I write this last subsection, large swathes of the world are practicing "social isolation" because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the current circumstances, unless you have a healing success rate of 100%,2 it is wise to avoid touching people outside of your own household. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is not dependent on the laying on of hands to heal the sick. To the Canaanite woman, Jesus simply says, "Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:28 NIV), and her daughter, who is not physically present, is instantly healed.
Exclusion
The first theme, that of exclusion and inclusion, of who's "in" and who's "out," is found throughout Matthew's gospel, so it might be a mistake to look for significance within the pericopes of the healing of the woman's daughter and the centurion's servant. However, it does serve to highlight the second theme: humility.
Humility
I'm sure others have observed the humility present in both pericopes, but it in Craig Keener's work that it was first made apparent to me.1 Just recently, however, I have begun to wonder if humility might not be a large part of faith. Art Thomas suggests that faith is trusting Jesus to do his part—the miraculous healing—while we do what our part—announcing Jesus' part! In other words, faith for healing recognizes our inability and absolute dependence upon Christ (which is, of course, also true regarding saving faith) while choosing to trust His character. This means there is no faith without humility. If that is, indeed, the case, could it be that Matthew highlights the humility evident in both pericopes because he is illustrating the nature of faith itself? Both the supplicants are clearly non-Jews, clearly in the "exclusion" group, and both knowledge it. Neither argues that they actually deserve healing. Actually, they both argue that they are unworthy. Even so, both come to Jesus expecting mercy and grace. Both are, in this fact, paragons of humility.
Intermediaries
That both pericopes have people coming to Jesus on behalf of others may simply be coincidence. In Matthew's Gospel, the father of the demonized boy (Matthew 17:14-21), the people who brought the demonized in the evening (Matthew 8:15), the friends of the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-7), the father of the dying girl (Matthew 9:18-26), large crowds (Matthew 15:30), and even people from as far away as the region of Syria (Matthew 4:24) also acted on behalf of others, even if only some of them came in the other's place. Given the frequency with which we see this, I think it unwise to assign any special significance within the pericope of the Gentile woman's daughter.
Faith
As with many of the accounts of Jesus' miracles in the Gospels, faith is specifically noted. It seems to me that proponents of Word of Faith (WoF) teaching see faith in pericopes like this as functioning as primary cause of the healing. That understanding, however, overlooks the role Jesus plays. If faith does the work, one could argue that those people who came to Jesus with faith did not actually need Jesus at all. If we understand their healing being the direct product of their faith, Jesus becomes superfluous, and I have actually heard teach that says that was the case. This, however, overlooks that healing also appears to require power and authority. When Jesus sent out the twelve (Matthew 10:1), he pointedly did not give them faith for the work they were about to undertake: he gave them power and authority. So, while faith is often noted in the healing pericopes (as it is in with both the Canaanite woman and the centurion), it is not always mentioned. Actually, John is unique among the Gospels writers in that not once does he make specific note of the faith of people being healed.
Having made note of all of the disclaimers in the paragraph above, it is still abundantly obvious that faith is a very central theme here. That said, the more I think about it, the more it seems like the primary focus is on the humility inherent in the faith, rather than the persistence. While the woman apparently follows Jesus and his disciples long enough to cause the disciples to become disgruntled (Matthew 15:23), that persistence is not what Jesus to with the exclamation about her "great faith" (Matthew 15:28). Rather, it seems to me to be her willingness to recognize her own unworthiness (accepting the term "dogs" in reference to her people) and Jesus superiority (casting him in the role of "their master") that is what Jesus responds to. In other words, she accepts her own position and does not deny that she is unworthy, but she still conveys a clear expectation that Jesus has enough to spare. Furthermore, her persistence indicates the clear expectation that Jesus will provide the healing she seeks.
These two aspects come together to produce an image of faith that is not only focused on Jesus. Faith here is clearly relational. It is not faith in an abstract sense--believing in the greatness of Jesus, that he is the messiah, or even just a powerful healer. It is faith about how Jesus will react to her--it is faith in how he will relate. This is what faith for healing is. It is for healing, not in healing. It is faith in Jesus, in both is ability and his willingness to heal. It is not a belief that certain actions will themselves produce the outcome desired. It is trusting Jesus. So, while he does command us to go and heal the sick (so there are certain actions expected of us), our trust needs to be focused entirely on him, not on those actions (e.g., laying on of hands, anointing with oil, commanding healing, rebuking demons, etc.).
Distance
As I write this last subsection, large swathes of the world are practicing "social isolation" because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the current circumstances, unless you have a healing success rate of 100%,2 it is wise to avoid touching people outside of your own household. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is not dependent on the laying on of hands to heal the sick. To the Canaanite woman, Jesus simply says, "Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:28 NIV), and her daughter, who is not physically present, is instantly healed.
FOOTNOTES
1. Dr. Craig Keener, "Matthew, Lecture 10, Matthew 8-9," made available online by Biblical eLearning.
2. For a little more on the topic of healing rates, see my post "How Many are Healed."
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